Jump to content

Janet's Log - Stardate 2016


Janet

Recommended Posts

Great review of Cranford, Janet! :) When I first saw the mini-series on TV; I immediately went and ordered a copy and I was so keen on reading the book! But it was vignettes, and I was so disappointed.... :(  I was hoping or rather expecting a very similar storyline to the TV series :(  Are there a lot of different characters, do you think one can get confused? (I don't remember the names of the characters from the TV series, and so I might be overwhelmed by them all...) Do the characters at least match the characters in the TV series? You mention a few discrepancies, but please tell me there are only a few! :blush:  (I mean, for example, Fried Green Tomatoes was a mess to read after having seen the movie first, and in addition, Sex and the City was just crap and the characters were totally different, after first having watched the TV show.) 

 

 

 

I think they have a copy in the library where my Mum lives, so maybe I'll take it out one day! :D

 

Yay! :D I hope you will enjoy it :smile2: There's also a novel called My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by the same author, but I've not read that one as oddly enough, it hasn't been translated into Finnish yet (which is so odd because it's now available in English, too! :o We usually get there before you, as we get a lot of the Nordic literature translated into Finnish before things get translated into English. As one would expect, what with the geological closeness and the history). Someone on here, though, has read it, and I think they enjoyed it. I can't remember what their username is on here... :blush:

Edited by frankie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 393
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

When I first saw the mini-series on TV; I immediately went and ordered a copy and I was so keen on reading the book! But it was vignettes, and I was so disappointed.... :(  I was hoping or rather expecting a very similar storyline to the TV series :(  Are there a lot of different characters, do you think one can get confused? (I don't remember the names of the characters from the TV series, and so I might be overwhelmed by them all...) Do the characters at least match the characters in the TV series? You mention a few discrepancies, but please tell me there are only a few! :blush:  (I mean, for example, Fried Green Tomatoes was a mess to read after having seen the movie first, and in addition, Sex and the City was just crap and the characters were totally different, after first having watched the TV show.)

All this is why I try always, if the book was written first, to make sure I read it first - even if it means recording the programme and then leaving until I do. Watching Cranford and Fried Green Tomatoes after reading the books, left me enjoying the TV/film, but still thinking the book was better (although I don't think Cranford is a patch on the other Gaskells I've read).

Edited by willoyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All this is why I try always, if the book was written first, to make sure I read it first - even if it means recording the programme and then leaving until I do. Watching Cranford and Fried Green Tomatoes after reading the books, left me enjoying the TV/film, but still thinking the book was better (although I don't think Cranford is a patch on the other Gaskells I've read).

 

I didn't know there was a book.. I just caught the show by accident and couldn't stop watching and didn't want to stop watching :) It was only afterwards I found out about the book. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All this is why I try always, if the book was written first, to make sure I read it first - even if it means recording the programme and then leaving until I do. Watching Cranford and Fried Green Tomatoes after reading the books, left me enjoying the TV/film, but still thinking the book was better (although I don't think Cranford is a patch on the other Gaskells I've read).

I've had Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café on my 'to read' pile for a couple of years.  I have the DVD too but I haven't watched it yet as I prefer to read the book first.

 

Cranford was the first Gaskell I 'read' - I listened to it on audio book which I think made me love it so much.  I think North and South is marginally better, but I thought they were both wonderful.   :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

026-2016-Mar-28-Dedicated%20To..._zpsrov

 

Dedicated To… compiled by W BB Gooderham

 

The ‘blurb’

Books are amongst the most personal of gifts. The book we choose to give a loved one is informed by our intimate knowledge of their personal histories and their tastes. Often, when we gift books, we love to explain the meaning behind our present by writing an inscription within its pages. Ordinarily, we hope the gift and its message will be enjoyed, placed lovingly on its new owner's bookshelf and treasured forever. This is not always the case, though...

 

W B Gooderham is fascinated by second-hand books and curates a growing collection of those featuring intriguing inscriptions. The messages he finds range from the awkward scratchings of adolescent infatuation, to the resentful recriminations of a love affair gone sour and offer illuminating glimpses into their books' own secret histories.

 

This beautifully presented book will feature the very best from the author's collection of dedications alongside the covers of the works in which they were found. From Animal Farm to Pride and Prejudice, there's something here to please every book lover's taste.

 

I picked this book up in Waterstones from their sale shelf. I was in a hurry and didn’t really look at the book - I confess that I was drawn to cover, which I guess proves that it’s not always wise to judge a book by its cover! :blush: It looks and feels lovely - the picture doesn't do it justice.

 

I actually thought the dedications alluded to in the title were going to be ones in flyleaf from author to a friend or family member, but they actually turned out to be personal inscriptions from people to the recipient of the particular book given as a gift. For me, it just came across as voyeuristic and disappointing – as though I was prying into people’s personal thoughts without their permission. I wouldn’t have bothered with finishing the book if it hadn’t been mercifully short - I’m in a minority though, as the reviews on Amazon are pretty favourable with a 3/5 being the lowest score, but it wasn’t for me. I hated it.

 

The hardback edition is 192 pages long and is published by Bantam Press. It was first published in 2013. The ISBN is 9780593072844.

 

1/5 (Ugh!)

 

(Finished 28 March 2016)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café on my 'to read' pile for a couple of years.  I have the DVD too but I haven't watched it yet as I prefer to read the book first.

 

 

 

Please don't leave Fried Green Tomatoes lying around too long: I only read it as it was a reading group book, and it's proved one of the highlights since I joined two or three years ago. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please don't leave Fried Green Tomatoes lying around too long: I only read it as it was a reading group book, and it's proved one of the highlights since I joined two or three years ago. 

 

Yes, please! :) And then you can finally watch the movie, too! :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

027-2016-Mar-31-The%20Girl%20Who%20Walke
 

The Girl Who Walked on Air by Emma Carroll

The ‘blurb’
Louie, who was abandoned at Chipchase's Travelling Circus as a baby, dreams of becoming a 'Showstopper', but Mr Chipchase keeps her hidden, tucked away in the ticket booth. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. But Louie has been secretly practising her act - tightrope-walking - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air . . . she just needs to be given the chance to shine.

And the circus needs her too - Wellbeloved's rival show is stealing their crowds. They need a Showstopper. Desperate, Mr Chipchase reluctantly lets Louie perform. She is a sensation, and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform ... over Niagara Falls. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus...

Fans of Frost Hollow Hall will love this epic adventure about following your dreams and becoming a showstopper!


I chose Frost Hollow Hall for my Book Club’s Christmas book in 2014 and we all really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this.

It tells the story of Louie – a young girl taken in by Jasper, the tightrope walker in a circus, after the death of her parents. Although technically her guardian he treats Louie like a daughter and, understandably, she develops a talent for walking the rope too. After he is disastrously injured in accident on the wire, the circus need a new showstopper and Louie knows she will fit the bill, but despite her being a sensation the circus owner Mr Chipchase isn't happy and instead engages the services of a young boy called Gabriel – but all is not what it seems with him.

When a stranger called Mr Wellbeloved turns up and entices Gabriel to the USA, Louie’s determination and jealousy sees her stowing away on board the ship too where she hopes to emulate her hero Blondin by walking across the falls, but the reality is that Louie has been lured there by false means and may find her life at risk…

Carroll really captures the excitement of the Big Top (and I don’t even like circuses!) and I enjoyed this adventure – although maybe not as much as Frost Hollow Hall. I hate heights and the author’s description of walking on the rope high above the crowds made my feet go all scrunchy! :D I’m looking forward to next book which is already on my ‘to read’ pile.

The paperback edition is 336 pages long and is published by Faber & Faber. It was first published in 2014. The ISBN is 9780571297160.

3½/5 (I enjoyed it)

(Finished 31 March 2016)
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a shame this wasn't as good as Frost Hollow Hall, though I'm glad you still enjoyed it. I like that cover. You seem to often read books with good covers, I feel like I comment in your thread a lot with "that's a great cover" :P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

028-2016-Apr-03-South%20Riding_zpsvgzqz1
 
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
 
The ‘blurb’
The community of South Riding, like the rest of the country, lives in the long shadow of war. Blighted by recession and devastated by the loss, they must also come to terms with significant social change.Forward-thinking and ambitious, Sarah Burton is the embodiment of such change. After the death of her fiancé, she returns home to Yorkshire focused on her career as headmistress of the local school. But not everyone can embrace the new social order. Robert Carne, a force of conservatism, stands firmly against Sarah. A tormented man, he carries a heavy burden that locks him in the past.
 
As the villagers of South Riding adjust to Sarah's arrival and face the changing world, emotions run high, prejudices are challenged and community spirit is tested.
 
The South Riding of the title is actually the fictionalised district of the East Riding of Yorkshire and represents that county in the Counties Challenge that some of us are doing.
 
The novel is said to centre on Sarah Burton, who takes on the role of Headmistress at Kiplington High School, but in reality it features a large cast of colourful and beautifully written characters all with their fair share of virtues and flaws. 
 
There’s Robert Carne, a gentleman farmer, strong and proud but now facing financial ruin. He married for love and is steadfastly faithful to his poor wife who has lived for many years in an Institution.   There’s his daughter, Midge.  She’s a selfish teen who has lead a cosseted life and lacks discipline.  She is sent to the High School where she struggles to fit in.  There she clashes with Lydia Holley – a girl from a slum area called The Shacks where she lives in a railway carriage with her parents and siblings.  She gets a scholarship to the High School where Sarah Burton quickly sees her potential.  There is Mrs Beddows - a female Alderman who is based on Holtby’s own mother – a matriarch who cares a great deal for Robert Carne… the list of characters goes on, and each of them has their own part to play in this vibrant and brilliant story. 
 
I absolutely adored this book.  It’s a saga that spans quite a few years and had me absolutely gripped.  The characters are so well developed and there are lots of plots within the book, but it is never confusing.  I really liked the way the characters linked together through the story.   I think it’s possibly my favourite of the English Counties books so far, although there are many other great books to choose from.  I listened to it on audio book and it was brilliantly narrated by Carole Boyd and she really helped to make this novel come alive – I think she’s one of the best narrators I’ve listened to.  It definitely made me want to get out and walk just to listen to more. 
 
This is another book that I doubt I would have picked up if not for the challenge – I’m so glad it was chosen.  I will have to check out Holtby’s other works – and also see what else Carole Boyd has narrated. 
 
The paperback edition is 560 pages long and is published by BBC Books.  It was first published in 1936.   The ISBN is 9781849902038.  
 
5/5 (I loved it)
 
(Finished 3 April 2016)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 You seem to often read books with good covers, I feel like I comment in your thread a lot with "that's a great cover" :P.

I must confess to being drawn to a pretty cover!  :D  It doesn't always pay off!

 

I loved Frost Hollow Hall, but had far less interest in that one, so I haven't bothered with it.

There are so many books out there that if you feel like that then definitely don't bother.  :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

029-2016-Apr-04-The%20Vesuvius%20Club_zp
 

The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss

The ‘blurb’
Lucifer Box is the darling of the Edwardian belle monde - society's most fashionable portrait painter is a wit, a dandy, a rake, the guest all hostesses (and not a few hosts) must have. But few know that Lucifer Box is also His Majesty's most accomplished and daring secret agent. And so of course when Britain's most prominent scientists begin turning up dead, there is only one man his country can turn to.

When Jocelyn Utterson Poop from the Diplomatic Service is murdered on duty, artist and undercover spy Lucifer Box is asked to continue his investigation. With only a scant message from Poop – “VERDIGRIS SASH. MOST URGENT. DETAILS FOLLOW” - to go on, he finds himself first in a shady-looking London undertakers’ shop and then in Naples, where he, and a sidekick called Charlie Jackpot that he picks up along the way, soon find themselves in a race against time to work out what the dead agent was working on and then to prevent a power-crazed despot from killing 1000s of innocent people.

I have struggled to review this book. I really enjoyed it, even though I probably shouldn’t have! It’s not high literature by any stretch of the imagination! In fact, I started by thinking I wouldn't be able to finish the book at all. Mid-way through I was enjoying it but thought I wouldn't bother with the second and third books in the series. Towards the end I couldn't put it down!

Why not 5 stars then? Well, it's bawdy with an unbelievable cast and a far-fetched and frankly silly plot, a main character who should be thoroughly dislikeable and a series of names that surely Dickens himself couldn't have come up with! And yet it was great fun!

If Oscar Wilde had written a comic James Bond style book then this steampunk novel would be the result! Gatiss has proved himself as a screenwriter and as an actor (I adore his Mycroft :wub: ) and his writing ability shines through in this riotous romp. So if you’re a fan of a good adventure story with an extraordinary cast of characters, are not easily offended and are prepared to suspend your disbelief then maybe you might enjoy this! :D

The paperback edition is 240 pages long and is published by Simon & Shuster. It was first published in 2004. The ISBN is 9780743483797.

3½/5 (I really enjoyed it)

(Finished 4 April 2016)
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

030-2016-Apr-08-Room_zps3fylxose.jpg
 

Room by Emma Donoghue

The ‘blurb’
Jack is five. He lives in a single locked room with Ma.

This book was one of two books suggested for Book Club by the person whose time it was to choose. It went to a vote and the alternative won, but as I had read the chosen book before I decided to read it anyway. Although I’d seen the book around lots, I had managed not to read anything about it so I came to it with no preconceptions.

The very short ‘blurb’ above is all it says about it on the back cover – and I can see why it doesn’t give too much away. As a result, my review will be behind a spoiler tag.

It’s a fast paced story about a little boy and his mother who are looked inside a small outbuilding.

 

 

SPOILERS AHEAD

 

 

 

Jack’s Ma has to protect him and to do so, she makes believe that the things they see on the television aren’t actually real. That only the stuff that goes on inside Room are real. TV is restricted and they do schooling and exercise. Jack has never known any different – but his Mum has. She dreams of escape but Jack is too young to help with any escape plan…

Or is he?

I found the boy narrator irritating at first but I did realise that his ‘voice’ was necessary and it helped to add to the feeling of what it must be like to be brought up with few outside influences. The story at times seems unbelievable, and yet it has happened in real life on a number of occasions. Probably the highest-profile case in recent times is that of Josef Fritzl and I wondered whether the idea for this came from that particular case. Googling after I finished revealed that this is, in fact, the case.

I thought the story was very well written – the claustrophobic atmosphere felt very real and I was absolutely rooting for them to escape and felt almost euphoric when they were successful. Jack’s solo adventure in the outside world had me on the edge of my seat. I was wondering whether they would actually escape or not, and was glad when they did because otherwise it might have bot a bit samey…

I would have liked to have had a bit more detail of what happened to perpetrator after capture, but at same time don’t want Room 2! Not sure I particularly want to see film but I might give it a go when it comes out on TV.

I thought the ending was good too – I can understand why Jack wanted to go back to the only home he’d ever known.



Going back to Book Club – it turns out that we’d all read it as well as the chosen book so we had a double discussion! :D

The paperback edition is 401 pages long and is published by Picador. It was first published in 2010. The ISBN is 9780330519021.

4½/5 (I really enjoyed it)

(Finished 7 April 2016)
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So glad you enjoyed Room, Jänet! :smile2: I was on the edge of my seat just like you, when you-know-what was happening!

 

I didn't read the spoilers, because I haven't read the book yet. I have the book on my TBR, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it :).

 

I hope this doesn't sound patronizing or anything, but I didn't know there were so many people on here who hadn't read the book yet! :D (I mean people who are interested in the book, but have just not gotten around to it yet. I don't mean everyone has to read it, even if they're not interested :D ) I really hope you will like it! :yes: I think you shall! 

Edited by frankie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope this doesn't sound patronizing or anything, but I didn't know there were so many people on here who hadn't read the book yet! :D (I mean people who are interested in the book, but have just not gotten around to it yet. I don't mean everyone has to read it, even if they're not interested :D ) I really hope you will like it! :yes: I think you shall!

Thanks :)! I've had the book on my shelf for a few years, but I haven't got around to reading it yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't read the spoilers, because I haven't read the book yet. I have the book on my TBR, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it :).

Glad you enjoyed Room. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember liking it.

So glad you enjoyed Room, Jänet! :smile2: I was on the edge of my seat just like you, when you-know-what was happening!

 

 

I hope this doesn't sound patronizing or anything, but I didn't know there were so many people on here who hadn't read the book yet! :D (I mean people who are interested in the book, but have just not gotten around to it yet. I don't mean everyone has to read it, even if they're not interested :D ) I really hope you will like it! :yes: I think you shall!

Thanks, all. :)

 

I had heard of the book but I have to say I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for Book Club. I don't even know if the author has written much else - I'd better go and Google!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...